The Complete Handbook of Multifunction Outdoor Power Equipment Attachments

Chapter 1: Understanding Multifunction Outdoor Power Equipment Attachments

The One-Handed Power System That Changed the Yard

Walk onto any professional landscaping site or into the maintenance shed of a large estate, and you will likely see the same odd-looking tool: a small engine or electric motor mounted at one end of a shaft, with a handle or two, and an interchangeable business end. The power head itself can be held and guided with one hand by a strong person, and the attachments that bolt onto it are what turn that single power source into a string trimmer, a brush cutter, a pole saw, a hedge trimmer, an edger, a cultivator, or even a small blower. This category of equipment is the subject of this book, and understanding how these attachments work, what you can expect from them, and where their limits lie is the difference between a smart buy and a costly dead weight in your shed.

The concept is not new. For decades, gasoline-powered two-stroke engines have been used in hand-held trimmers and brush cutters. The innovation that spawned the modern multifunction system was the simple idea of making the cutting head detachable from the drive shaft. Once that happened, the engine, the shaft, the clutch, and the handles became a common platform. The same power head that spins a trimmer line at 7,000 revolutions per minute (RPM) can, with an attachment, spin a chain saw chain on a long pole or drive a PTO-like shaft into a small